Google updates Gmail for iPhone and Android

More shortcuts and easier contact searching

Google has announced another step towards making its Gmail experience as slick on the iPhone and Android phones as it is on the web.

The Iterative Web App (catchy) has brought two improvements to the Gmail mobile experience. The first is bringing keyboard shortcuts to its Android devices in the same fashion as its web application.

So pressing 'u' will send you to the inbox, and 'n' will move you on to a newer mail, thus making it easier to navigate the system.

Shortcuts

Google says that it has "enabled keyboard shortcuts for Android-powered devices with a physical keyboard" with the new improvement... so, that would be just the one then, the T-Mobile G1. It's an interesting choice of phrase, and seriously points to the new HTC Android device with QWERTY keyboard that's rumoured to debut later this month.

Another new feature is faster address auto-completion, so when you begin typing in a friend's name (in the same manner as when you do so on the internet) it will flash up with a number of options.

Apparently it does this by reusing previously fetched matches in subsequent searches, according to Google's Blog. So, it basically remembers what you wrote.

Head on over to gmail.com on your mobile and check it out for yourself if you're iPhone- or Android-enabled.

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Phones and Tablets Editor

Gareth (Twitter, Google+) has been part of the mobile phone industry from the era of the brick to the tiny device in the pocket... and now watching them grow back up to behemothic proportions once more. He's spent five years dissecting all the top phones in the world as TechRadar's Phones and Tablets Editor, and still can't resist answering the dreaded question - "which new phone should I get?" - with 15 choices.